Breathe No More
by turniphead815
Summary: Ten years after rescue, Kate is a drifter and Jack's life begins to fall apart. Can they put themselves back together? **REAL CHAPTER 2 NOW UP**
1. Familiar Faces

**Author's Note: **This takes place ten years after rescue comes. In this case, the people on the boat were telling the truth and Charlie got out alive ;-) I know it's going to be a little confusing, but bear with me, it will make sense in the next chapter or two. If you want me to continue, please review!

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own LOST, yadda yadda yadda. Did anyone really think that I did?

_Flames to dust,_

_Lovers to friends,_

_Why do all good things come to an end?_

_-**"All Good Things (Come to an End)" by Nelly Furtado**_

Jack stumbled into his house and felt around for a light. It was nearly midnight and he was just now getting home from work. The way he worked lately, he was spending more time at the hospital then with his family. Jack glanced at the mail Juliet had left in a pile at his place at the table. The letter on top was neatly addressed in Claire's handwriting. Somewhere in the ten years since they'd been rescued, she had gotten into the habit of writing to him, mostly to update him on how Aaron was doing, because after they'd made it home they had discovered that they shared the same father making Claire his half sister, and Aaron his nephew. The letters ranged from discussing Aaron, Charlie and their three other children, to random memories about the island she felt like sharing. Jack almost never responded anymore. This time he ignored the letter all together, tossing it aside and picking up the rest of the stack.

"Oh, you're finally home." Jack didn't look up as he heard his wife of eight and a half year's voice.

"Yep." He replied, shuffling the mail in his hands.

"You know, Ray was sick today," Juliet said, referring to their five year old son. "He kept asking for you. I don't know if he told you, but in kindergarten they were talking about their heroes, and he said that you were his. The teacher thinks-"

"Goddamn it Juliet." Jack interrupted, throwing the mail down. "I had a long day, I just want to have a drink and get some sleep OK?" Juliet didn't even flinch at her husbands harsh tone.

"You don't need a drink tonight." Jack ignored her, walking forward and taking a bottle of beer out of the refrigerator. "Jack, come on. You work constantly, and now you're going to come home and drink yourself to sleep?" Jack took a long sip of the beer. It was true, he had been working longer hours. Some nights he lost track of time and didn't even come home. He'd stopped shaving too, so he had a full beard. On the nights that he did come home it was usually just to shower and change before heading out again.

"You don't understand."

"No I don't. I don't get why you think that your patients are more important then your own son, so explain it to me. Did you even know that Ray had a soccer game yesterday? Or that he cried when he found out you didn't come? You're not even putting any effort into this family anymore."

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm busy putting effort into my work. These are peoples lives we're talking about. It's not a joke, if I screw up, they're dead." Juliet shook her head.

"I didn't want it to come to this." She turned around and grabbed a stack of papers behind her. "I think we should get a divorce, Jack." Jack stumbled backward and sat down at the table. He knew that things were bad between them, but he never thought that she would want a divorce.

"And you just decided this now?"

"No, I decided it two months ago, but Ray was about to start school, and I thought maybe we could try therapy. Of course, you couldn't take time off work for the therapy, so divorce it is."

"I can't take time off work, I'm the chief of surgery."

"I know that. Believe me, I know that you are the chief of surgery, and that clearly means more to you then I do." She sat down at the table across from him, and slid the papers to him.

"I'm not signing these," Jack said with a shake of his head.

"Don't start acting like you suddenly care. You're never home, you never even see us anyway."

"Jules, there has to be some way that we can fix this." Juliet just shook her head sadly. "I can fix this."

- - - - - - - - - - -

The rain was coming down in sheets now, it was so bad that Kate could hardly see the road. It also didn't help that the water had smeared her direction sheet so that it was practically unreadable. She alternately glanced at the road and the paper, desperately trying to make sense of what she had written. Did that say exit 23 or exit 28? What street did they live on anyway? It was silly because Kate should know this route by now. She'd been to visit Charlie and Claire dozens of times, though not recently. She hadn't even seen the twins yet, and they were nearly three years old. It was mostly because she didn't really live anywhere anymore. She had a system, rent an apartment, get a temporary job, stay for a few months, quit, move out, and start again. Right now she was living in Albany, New York, but that would change soon. It always did. Kate held the scrap of paper close to her face and squinted. If it was exit 23, she would be turning off here. If only her plane hadn't been delayed, she could be on the roads at a decent hour, not past midnight, relying on only her headlights to guide her. As soon as she made the decision to get off the highway and wait out the storm in a diner or hotel, someone hit her car from behind. Kate jerked forward, barely having time to process what was going on before her car was sent spinning out of control.


	2. Jane Doe

**OK, I screwed up and put the wrong document as chapter two. This is the REAL chapter two, sorry for all the confusion!!!**

**Author's Note: Thanks for coming back for chapter two! If you like it, a review would simply make my day! To yumi8thefood (and anyone else who may be wondering) this story is definitely going to have some Jate, but it won't all be base around that. Enjoy!**

Jack rolled over and glanced at the clock. It was after 10 am. He was supposed to leave for the hospital by five, how did he oversleep? He shot out of bed and fumbled around for his shirt.

"Jack, I called you in sick." Jack looked up at his soon to be ex-wife in shock.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because you need sleep," Juliet responded. "In ten years, you haven't taken a single sick day. I thought you might need one."

"I don't." Jack grabbed his cell phone of the night table. He had four new messages. He listened carefully as Juliet stepped closer to him. 

"Jack, come on. I'm trying to help you here. You have to take a break, you're working way too hard." Jack held up a hand to silence her. The hospital had called, just after midnight.

"We have a woman, appears to be in her mid-thirties. There was a bad car accident, she needs surgery first thing in the morning." Jack snapped his phone shut and tossed it on the bed.

"There is a surgery they needed me to do Juliet, but I wasn't there because you called in a _personal_ day for me. Last night you flat out told me that you didn't love me anymore, and now you are-"

"I'm sure there is someone else who can do the surgery," Juliet interrupted quietly. She did feel bad for whoever this woman was, but Jack was going to work himself to death if he didn't slow down.

"I'm going in to check on her." Jack grabbed his coat off of the chair and stormed out.

- - - - - - - - - -

"So how is she?"

"She came through the operation okay, but I think you should have a look at her. We can't tell how much damage has been done yet, she has not woken up yet," said Dr. James Peterson, a relatively new surgeon at the hospital. "I thought your wife called you in sick though?"

"That was a mistake," Jack said dismissively. "Did you contact the family yet?"

"We can't identify her. She's Jane Doe for now." Jack nodded and walked into the hospital room where the patient was waiting. As he stepped in, the beauty of the unknown woman was the first thing he noticed. Her dark, wavy hair was spread out over the pillow, and her skin looked pale against the sheets. Even connected to the machines keeping her alive she was still gorgeous. It took him a minute to realize that this wasn't just another Jane Doe, he knew this woman.

"Kate?" She didn't respond, she probably couldn't hear him, but as he came closer to her there was no mistaking her identity. He touched her arm to make sure she was real and this wasn't a dream. "Kate it's me, Jack. You're going to be fine, don't worry. I'll save you."

"Sorry Dr. Shepard, do you know this woman?" James was standing in the doorway looking at Jack and the near-lifeless body beside him. Jack glanced down at Kate and pushed her hair out of her face. They hadn't seen each other in eight years. They'd spoken once or twice after their last meeting, mostly because Claire wanted them to 'kiss and make up'. Nothing had really happened between them, but after the rescue they drifted apart. Jack got into a relationship with Juliet, and Kate went to prison for a few months. Somewhere along the line, things became painfully awkward to the point where they could not be in the same room together, and the last time he called Kate to check in, well over four years ago, she hadn't answered and never called back. "Dr. Shepard?"

"Uh, we used to...she was on the plane. Her name is Kate. Austen."

"What plane?"

"Oceanic 815."

"You mean that one that crashed in the ocean and was lost for three months? She was on that?"

"Yep. I was too actually." When they had first gotten off of the island, everyone wanted to get an interview with the survivors, and the press was in their face non stop. After a few weeks, everyone lost interest, and they were able to go back to their regular lives. Now, Jack rarely talked about his experience on the island.

"No kidding? Do you know who we can call for her?" Jack gave the younger doctor Claire's information, figuring that Kate was probably here to visit her and Charlie. When he left, Jack walked back to the bed and looked at closer at Kate. It was odd to see her like this. On the island, she was always running around, trying to rescue someone or do something. Laying down was not really a natural thing for her. 

"Kate?" Jack called again, softly. "It's time to wake up now." Kate's eyes fluttered open, as if she had heard him calling her back from wherever she was. It didn't appear to register to her at first that Jack was looking down at her.

"What happened?" She asked weakly.

"There was an accident. You are hurt pretty bad, but you'll survive."

"Jack?" Kate finally seemed to realize just who her doctor was.

"Yeah, it's me. Someone is calling Claire for you, I hope that's all right."

"Sure," She replied, still slightly confused and disoriented. A silence fell between them for a few minutes before Dr. Peterson finally broke it by entering the room again.

"Sorry to interrupt, but I called Kate's friends. They're on their way."

"Great," Jack replied. "Thanks a lot." Dr. Peterson nodded and stepped outside again.

"So what's new with you?" Kate asked, almost sarcastically, from the bed.

"Not much. My son is five now. I'm getting a divorce too."

"No, really? You and Juliet? I always thought you two would stay together forever." Kate was speaking slowly and softly now.

"Kate, stay with me OK? Claire is coming, she'll want to talk to you."

"I'm not dying, Jack," Kate spat. "I'm just tired."

"Where have you been living?" Jack asked, ignoring her last response.

"New York."

"D'you still talk to anyone else from the island?"

"Nope." She answered simply. "Just Claire and Charlie."

"No Sawyer?"

"No." Kate didn't elaborate, and Jack didn't press for details. "What about you?"

"Juliet, Claire and Charlie." Jack moved closer to Kate's bed. "I should probably take your vitals." He removed a small flashlight from his pocket and leaned over her. "Look at me." As Jack looked into Kate's eyes he felt something oddly familiar rush over him. He put the flashlight down and inched his face closer and closer to Kate's. His lips gently grazed hers when behind him, the door flew open and he jumped away from the bed.


End file.
